The History of Chemical Warfare and Its Effect on the Environment

2667 WordsApr 19th, 200611 Pages

There are so many issues facing the world today that it is sometimes hard to understand why they occur and what they affect. Today it is apparent that many people take the environment of the earth for granted. Pollution, energy, and natural resources are all seen as an environmental element that can threaten our future and destroy the environment. But there is another threat to the environment that is certainly overlooked by today's society and was overlooked by many in the past. This element is the act of war. There are many different aspects of war that can affect the environment and the people of our world, but there is one specific facet of war that could be considered most detrimental chemical warfare. "Chemical warfare is…show more content…

The arrow was fired into the target of choice, usually an item of prey such as the antelope, with the hunter then tracking the doomed animal until the poison caused its collapse. Although this is not considered warfare between humans, this still provides knowledge on the use of chemicals to cause harm. From here we can infer that even the use of these chemicals in ancient times had an effect on the environment. If early humans were using chemicals to hunt and kill their prey, it may have created an unbalance in the habitat of the time. If the antelope population was to suddenly decrease with the use of chemicals, the predator of the antelope may starve and die, later causing a possible extinction of that particular species. Chemical weapons in the form of liquid were not the only type of chemicals used in the beginning of human history. The earliest recorded use of gas warfare in the West dates back to the 5th century BC, during the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Spartan forces besieging an Athenian city placed a lighted mixture of wood, pitch, and sulfur under the walls hoping that the noxious smoke would incapacitate the Athenians, so that they would not be able to resist the assault that followed. Sparta wasn't alone in its use of unconventional tactics during these wars: Solon of Athens is said to have used hellebore roots to poison the water in an aqueduct leading from the Pleistrus River around 590 BC during the siege of…

The effects from chemicals , detergents and soaps have been linked to breast cancer. The chemicals used in everyday cleaning products have been linked to breast cancer, fertility problems, hormone disruption, asthma and other serious health problems. Many of these products are made with dangerous chemicals that have the potential to disrupt the endocrine system, also known as the hormone system. This system is responsible for the brain, development of the nervous system…

deadly gases used by the enemy. The use of chemical agents in World War One led to the need for the production of better protection from the deadly effects of the agents. Chlorine gas could be dropped from cylinders above the victims, its high density causing it to flow downwards onto its unsuspecting foe (Fire 121). Also, the British Authorities struggled to decide whether or not to approve the use of gas for offensive use, and whether a large scale chemical war was something to be avoided at all costs…

contorted with a pain that comes from within. Chemical warfare has long been acknowledged as a devastating tactical weapon, but the origin of this impression is now being debated. While it is a common held belief that chemical warfare is a form of modern warfare and that the First World War is recognised for introducing this type of combat, recent archaeological finds show this may prove otherwise. According to accepted definitions of chemical warfare, newly discovered battle tactics used by humanity’s…

The purpose of this essay is to deal with the fact that chemical warfare should be brought back to modern warfare strategies. As Warren Rudman said, “And they will tell you unequivocally that if we have a chemical or biological attack or a nuclear attack anywhere in this country, they are unprepared to deal with it today, and that is of high urgency.” Rudman’s words are true in what they say and that we should do everything to counter-act his statement. Biological weapons are a key to outstanding…

Implications of Chemical, Biological and Nuclear Warfare
Thesis
As current problems of terrorism and the war on Iraq, chemical, biological and nuclear warfare (CBW) issues are important and relevant. CBW agents are dangerous, uncontrollable and undifferentiating weapons of mass destructions. Chemical, biological and nuclear weapons are capable of mass destruction aimed at killing masses of people. Using CBW agents comes with many ethical dilemmas and consequential side-effects. Chemical, biological…

Biological and Chemical Warfare
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) warfare is one of the most dreaded forms of attack on the battlefield. In the last century, we learned a great deal about how life works, how it is organized. We have used that technology to save many lives by curing diseases and vaccinating against viruses. But it seems that whenever we have a breakthrough in science, there is an ever-present danger of a form of weapon resulting from the discovery. Biological Warfare is defined…

Juliana Amenta
2/18/13
Mr. Zastrow
Chemical Warfare During World War 1
The first World War has been reported to be one of the most brutal wars in the history of time for many reasons. One of those reasons was strategic usage of chemical warfare. Chemical gas was used on both sides of the line, which turned out to be fatal for many. World War I was mostly fought in the trenches, where soldiers lived in deep, v-shaped holes or underground bunkers. Both sides would occupy these trenches in order…

Chemicals In The Environment
In today’s society chemicals, whether you like it or not are a fact of life. Many people are afraid of chemicals and their effects on them and the environment. This is understandable because the truth of the matter is that chemicals can do some horrible things to humans, animals and the whole ecosystem. Some would say that chemicals should be done away with for these reasons. But this certainly is not true and most likely impossible. Chemicals can also have some…

Chemical weapons are deadly, in-humane, not safe, and overkill. They are consider WMDs (Weapons of Mass Destruction) and have been on the rise since the early 1900s. These weapons are past and present proof that chemistry can crossover into technology. And have a huge impact on society for decades.
Chemical weapons originated in early World War I. They were simple grenades or mortars filled with common chemicals. These specialized grenades were popularized by the Germans and then were seen used…

Gunpowder was invented long before the Europeans were introduced to it. Gunpowder was invented by the Chinese in the ninth century . They were actually trying to make an elixir of eternal life, but ended up making one of the most important artifacts of warfare . The Chinese did not originally use gunpowder in weapons, but in fireworks instead. The smoke that combusted gunpowder makes is very thick and can block the colors of the fireworks from being shown, so they had to have different ratios of gunpowder…